Selaelo Selota

BIO

Growing up in rural Limpopo, Selaelo Selota first found work on the gold mines, where he was exposed to the traditional songs and dances of other ethnic groups, inspiring him to become a musician. He worked as an usher at the Market Theatre and a cleaner at Kippie's Jazz Club in Joburg before studying music at the FUBA Academy and University of Cape Town, graduating in 1997. During this time he formed the groups Meropa and Taola.

His 2000 debut, Painted Faces, sold over 60 000 units and earned him Samas for Best Contemporary Jazz Album and Best Newcomer. It was followed by Enchanted Gardens (2001), Stories Lived and Told (2005), The Azanian Songbook (2006) and Lapeng Laka (2009), which earned him three Sama nominations in 2010. An electric performer, his tours have taken him across African, Europe and North America.

As a producer and composer, he helped launch the careers of Judith Sephuma and others. He established his own labels, Live at the Shack Entertainment and later Soul Truth. In 2009 the University of Southern California invited him for a six-week residency. In September 2013 he released a new album, 'The Promise', and embarked on a national tour.